


Mugs As Innuendos For Desire

by angelwriter



Category: British Actor RPF, British Comedy RPF, Good Omens (TV), Good Omens (TV) RPF, Staged (TV 2020), Staged (TV 2020) RPF
Genre: Desire, M/M, Michael Sheen is bisexual, Michael Sheen loves David Tennant, Michael had a crush on David during Bright Young Things, Michael wants David, Saddle-up Sheen mug, Secret Crush, Sexual Tension, Sexual innuendos, Staged (TV 2020) has innuendos, Staged 2 filming, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 01:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30013947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelwriter/pseuds/angelwriter
Summary: "Look at episode 1. It's called Saddle-up, Sheenie. You quite literally and graphically depict that you want to ride me.""Ride the horse! It's the horse. The horse named Sheen.""David. It's not the horse. That is clear homoeroticism right there.""You think that's erotic?" David asked seriously.
Relationships: Michael Sheen/David Tennant
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Mugs As Innuendos For Desire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hurtslikeyourmouth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hurtslikeyourmouth/gifts).



It starts with a mug. 

A simple, ordinary object to many. Something people don't normally pay much mind to. Few like collecting, others feel it just holds their beverage. 

Michael supposed Simon didn't think it would escalate to this level when he added that line in the script. 

"Is that you on that mug?" 

It became quite a thing to have David's face on mugs at the Tennant house. Nothing unusual about it. 

But Michael did not previously own such a mug. Either with himself or anyone else. 

After David's hilarious co-workers left him a Michael-faced mug in his trailer, it became a funny thing in the household, and Georgia decided to gift Michael one in return. 

There the mug stands. 

Michael looks at it quite often. He uses it every morning for his coffee and every afternoon during tea time. 

He smiles when he sees it. Chuckles when he reads the words on it. 

"Saddle-up, Sheenie!" 

There is a picture of David on it from a scene in Staged. 

Michael doesn't know how or why, but he loves this mug in a different way than a token or souvenir from a project he did.

It's personal. 

Perhaps because it is from David. Of David. 

Michael tries to ignore the ever-present flutter in his chest, an immersive warmth that arrows through him, delighting his senses at the sight of David on his laptop screen. That smile brings bouts of giddiness and makes his belly shake and his teeth hurt from returning the smile. Sometimes he can't look at him because it's too much to look into those eyes. 

The mug is a reminder. 

Staged wasn't the start of it, nor was Good Omens unlike what most people thought. Good Omens was the catalyst that set his heart aflame with the knowledge of what Michael had always felt towards David. No, it was the passing look a young David had given him on set of Bright Young Things. Two men coming together in friendship, Michael fiercely pushing down what it was inside and then remained friends with David for years and years since the moment they met on set. Good Omens in fact was when he first named it. 

Michael recalled that day when David was doing something incredible ordinary. But that's how it happens, doesn't it? One day you're fine and nothing burns you, the next you can't breathe from the realisation. It felt like heat, a little suffocating, a little nauseating. Something made him look at David differently. Something that was always there. It rushed to the surface, jump-starting his entire body into motion. It was thrilling to say the least. 

Michael looks again to the mug sitting on the table as memories play out in his head. 

"And then I say: Good boy," David read the script on the kitchen counter, frowning at it while Michael flipped through his own script thoughtfully. 

They were practicing for Staged 2 and Michael did not miss the innuendos peppered throughout. 

"Is Simon even aware that he's doing this?" Michael questioned. 

"Well, arguably we did add in a lot of our stuff last time so maybe he thought this would be funny. A play on our...bantering relationship." 

"Yes, but it's inherently sexual." 

David looked up from his script and laughed. "Only you think like that, Michael." 

"I do not! I'm preventing the fans from turning this into something." 

"Then fans always read into stuff. What does it matter?" 

Michael faltered, suddenly feeling flushed. "Yes, but it does give them more cause for shipping us." 

"I'm well aware they ship us." 

There was something unreadable in David's eyes that caused Michael's chest to tighten. 

"And...and what do you think of it?" 

David sighed and looked to the side. "Well, there is nothing I can do to about it, can I? People will always look for something to turn into something else." 

"But, David, this new season is quite...you know, with the subtle stuff." 

"Like what?" David turned back to Michael and eyed him curiously. 

Michael scrambled for the scripts on his desk. He pointed one up to the screen, showing the title page. 

"Look at episode 1. It's called Saddle-up, Sheenie. You quite literally and graphically depict that you want to ride me." 

"Ride the horse! It's the horse. The horse named Sheen." 

"David. It's not the horse. That is clear homoeroticism right there." 

"You think that's erotic?" David asked seriously. 

Michael swallowed hard. "What?" 

"Do you think me riding you is erotic?" 

There were no words that came to him in that moment. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't let on that he found David attractive (although he had explicitly stated that several times in the last couple of years) and the thought that David was aware just how much he found him attractive frightened him. Sure, David was an attractive man. He was beautiful, gorgeous. So were many other people Michael found attractive. But was Michael attractive TO David? Like that. Romantically. Sexually. His romantic attraction had been both men and women in the past, so was his sexual attraction. He had found he wanted to sleep with men before. 

But David. 

David had him. David was that person he held in his heart and kept silent about until that feeling was violently purged from him. Now he couldn't shut up about him. And David noticed. He always noticed. He had said once he was flattered that Michael had called him his lover. Michael had all the reason to feel embarrassed, yet he never was. It was the truth and the truth was often easy when said out-loud and difficult to avoid after. 

So yes. Michael was in fact into David in every way possible. 

It shuddered through him as he stared at the image of David on the glass screen of the laptop. His likeness there and never tangible, forever out of reach. 

Michael plucked up some courage from who knows where and said: 

"Yes, David, I find it extremely erotic." 

David didn't so much as blink and for a moment Michael was sure the image had frozen. Then he saw him blink slowly and a burst of air blew through the speakers at David's heavy exhale. Michael was confused at this. It wasn't an exhale of discomfort or annoyance. It wasn't even shame or embarrassment. It sounded like....it looked like...David was thinking about what he said. And by thinking of it that meant he knew that Michael found the idea of David sweaty with his head thrown back in pleasure as he rode on Michael's cock erotic. 

AND HE WAS THINKING ABOUT IT. 

It was silent for a long time. Michael ground his teeth together, hoping this didn't backfire in his face. He was practically sweating. He couldn't believe he had just said that. He wouldn't take it back, but fuck it was a lot to admit. It took so much out of him. It was ineffable. 

"It is," was all David said. 

It is. 

Those two words tumbled through Michael's subconscious, filtering into his dreams. So many questions and many left unanswered. That was the thing between them.

Unspoken. 

Inneduos made it into the final cut of Staged 2, laughed at and brushed off. 

Michael prided himself on making David fully chuckle with his improvised line of "in my face, like improv jizz". It was subtle enough to slip in there. The dog scene was deleted though. Michael had barked and David said "Good boy". Suppose it wasn't really necessary for the plot, but Michael could still feel his barely contained shiver at those husky words said by his co-star. 

Michael goes into the kitchen now, head busy and musing through his mind palace of all the images and things David had said. He brings the Staged mug with him and fills up his cup. He sits back down on the chair, laptop open with a black screen, power turned off. 

He arranges the mug facing in front of him. As he lifts the mug up, he can faintly see David's face over the tip of his nose. His lips burn from the drink. He reaches out and smoothes a finger over it. The pad of his thumb is wet and warm. He takes another sip and swallows the hot liquid down.


End file.
